Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Fund topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Conference negotiators protect transportation fund; SSDI license discount removed from T bill
Summary
Committee members emphasized protecting the transportation fund and said the proposed SSDI/SSI license discount was removed from the motor vehicle bill; negotiators said assistance for low-income license fee reductions should be funded from the general fund or human services sources, not the transportation fund.
Members of the House–Senate transportation conference committee said they will protect transportation fund revenues and noted that an SSDI/SSI license fee discount provision was dropped from the motor vehicle bill draft under consideration.
A committee participant summarized the caucus position: transportation revenues are constrained and the committee intends to protect the Transportation Fund so road maintenance and infrastructure priorities remain funded. The participant said the preference is to find assistance for low-income SSDI and SSI recipients from the general fund or human services budgets, not from transportation revenue.
Committee staff discussed draft bottom-line figures and potential adjustments. They identified prior line items and an existing $550,000 figure on the bottom line that could reduce the need for separate sections, and noted that because S46 is not moving, some previously estimated costs can be reduced by roughly $300,000. The transcript indicates the SSDI/SSI license discount as currently drafted is under $50,000 but was removed from the motor vehicle bill pending decisions on funding sources.
Negotiators did not adopt new appropriations in the conference session recorded; instead, they signaled a unified position to protect the Transportation Fund and to seek other general-fund sources if policymakers want to provide fee relief to low-income license holders.
